Vehicle battery changing device

ABSTRACT

A vehicle battery changing and positioning device particularly suitable for use with electric driven vehicles of a mine operating type and the like, including lift arms pivotally mounted to the vehicle frame and releasably attached at their free ends to a battery tray and cover, with hydraulic actuating means to pivotally displace the arms and thereby move the battery tray and cover through an arc from an inner to an outer position to facilitate changing or servicing. Releasable hold down and locking means are provided.

United States Patent [191 Reed [ Mar. 26, 1974 VEHICLE BATTERY CHANGINGDEVICE [76] Inventor: David M. Reed, PO. Box 652,

Martin, Ky. 41649 [22] Filed: Aug. 16, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 281,090

[52] US. Cl. 104/134, 105/51, 180/65 R, 214/77 R [51] Int. Cl A63g 21/00[58} Field of Search 104/34; 105/50, 51; 180/65 R; 214/77 R [56]References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2.290.738 7/1942 Chadwick 1214/77 R 3,708,028 1/1973 Hafer 104/34 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS603,473 4/1926 France 105/51 Primary Examiner-Robert G. SheridanAssistant Examiner-D. W. Keen 5 7 ABSTRACT A vehicle battery changingand positioning device particularly suitable for use with electricdriven vehicles of a mine operating type and the like, including liftarms pivotally mounted to the vehicle frame and releasably attached attheir free ends to a battery tray and cover, with hydraulic actuatingmeans to pivotally displace the arms and thereby move the battery trayand cover through an arc from an inner to an outer position tofacilitate changing or servicing. Releasable hold down and locking meansare provided.

5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTED 826 I974 SHEET 1 0F 3 IIIE VEHICLEBATTERY CHANGING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In electricallydriven vehicles of a mine operating type and the like, such as shown,for example, in prior US. Pat. Nos. 3,226,857 and 3,545,634, thebatteries are of substantial size and weight and require relativelyfrequent servicing and/or changing. Such batteries may, for example,consist of 64 cell units and have dimensions of 72 inches by 19 inches.Such batteries are normally mounted in battery trays with covers and areadapted for positionment in a battery compartment on the vehicle. Due toweight, size and frequency of servicing and/or changing requirements,mechanism must be provided to facilitate movement or displacement of thebattery with the tray into and out of association with the vehicle andto render the battery readily available for servicing and changing. Holddown and locking means are also desirable to prevent accidents andinadvertent displacement.

The present invention is directed to the changing and positioningmechanism and, additionally, releasable hold down and locking means.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides changing andpositioning mechanisms for vehicle batteries of a type used inelectrically driven vehicles of a mine operating type and the like. Liftarms are pivotally mounted to the vehicle frame and are releasablyattached at their free ends to a battery tray and cover throughappropriate takeup and swing means. Hydraulic cylinders areinterconnected between the vehicle and a median position on the liftarms and are actuatable to pivotally displace the arms to thereby movethe battery tray and cover through an are from an inner to outerposition to facilitate servicing or changing. The apparatus alsoincludes restraining, clamping means, and hold down and locking pins andassociated mechanism.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become morereadily apparent from the following detailed description of anembodiment thereof when taken together with the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a work vehicle of a type employed in miningoperations embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1, and showinga battery tray and change mechanism in retracted and displacedpositions;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the batterycase and associated displacing mechanism;

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the structure taken on line 4-4 ofFIG. 3, with the retracted position shown in full lines and displacedposition in broken lines;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view disclosing the battery case and includingelectrical interconnecting means from the battery to the vehicle andlift and swing out pin means and associated locking mechanism;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the swing pin andassociated hold down and locking clips, partially exploded for clarity;and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 5.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, there is shown in FIG.1 a work vehicle of a type especially adapted for use in miningoperations and the like. This includes a rear section 10 and a forwardor front section 12 which are independent and operatively associated.The overall vehicle is adaptable to numerous environments of utilizationbut is of particular advantage in low overhead subterranean locations,such as mine shafts. A low structural profile is required for use inthis particular area of industry and the apparatus moreover must be,insofar as possible, rugged and not susceptible of damage in normalusage. The rear section, as shown in greater detail in the abovementioned patents, usually incorporates the drive and operatingmechanism for the vehicle. This includes such as the riding pallet 14,steering wheel 16, control component housing 18 and operating lever 20.Drive and support wheels 22 are operably connected to gearing generallydesignated 24 of a usual type. The front and rear sections are pivotallyinterconnected as generally indicated at 26 and operable throughhydraulic cylinder mechanisms 28.

The front section 12 includes an open bucket 30 which is supported bywheels 32 at its rear mounted on axle structures 34 and connectedthrough frame 36 to pivotal interconnection 26. A drive transmission 38is utilized for motive and control.

Such apparatus as more fully shown and described in US. Pat. No.3,545,634 is adapted for driving and operation by electric batteries.These electric batteries must be capable of substantial power output andrelatively long use periods between servicing and/or changing. Thepresent device, for example, utilizes two electric storage batterieswhich can be, for example, 64 cell units and have dimensions such as 72inches by 19 inches, although different size units can be incorporated.These batteries are mounted in battery cases 40, in the present instancetwo units being used, and FIG. 1 shows the battery cases 40 in mountedposition on the vehicle in full lines and in displaced position at 40afor servicing or changing. The battery cases, when vehicle mounted, aresupported in compartments 42, generally indicated, formed betweensupport floor 44 and upright wall 46, constituting components of thevehicle. A battery case cover 48 is removably mounted on the batterycase and includes handles 50 to facilitate removal and securing meansgenerally indicated at 52 which can be of any desired structure, but asshown include mating lugs and bolts.

The battery per se, not shown, is operatively interconnected to thevehicle drive and control mechanisms through electrical leads withinhose 54 mounted into the battery casing or tray 40 by restraining clamps56 and restraining glands 58 for interconnection with the vehicle driveand control mechanisms, the restraining glands being portions ofinterconnecting socket means.

Ejector or lift arms 60 are respectively mounted to the vehicle atopposite ends of battery case 48 by securement to a longitudinal ejectorshaft 62 mounted on ejector pivot pin 64. Clevis plates 66 are securedto the free ends of arms 60 and through which are mounted swing shafts68 in a pivotal manner. Takeup swing pins 70 in the nature of threadedI-bolts are threadedly engaged within swing shafts 68 and are adjustabletherein. The clevis plates act in the nature of a supporting yoke forthe swing shafts. The takeup swing pins are in operation clevis pins.Means are interconnected to the battery case at opposed ends thereof foroperating interengagement'with the arms 60 to move the battery cases andbatteries between the mounted position 40 and displaced position 40a. Inthe embodiment shown, this includes brackets 72 secured to the ends ofthe battery case and having apertures 74 therethrough. A lift andlocking pin 76 is insertable through apertures 74 and outboard areprovided with flanges or collars 78 and handles 80. The pins are alsoprovided with opposed grooves 82 proximate the inner ends thereof.Apertured clips 84 are insertable within the open brackets 72 and areprovided with ears 86 on the top thereof which are in bearing engagementwith the upper surface of the leg portions of the brackets. The aperture88 of clip 84 when so mounted is aligned with aperture 74 of thebracket. The pins are inserted through apertures 74 and engage inapertures 88 in a locking arrangement and, when the battery case islifted for movement the forces are transmitted from the pin to thespaced apertures with the ears 86 distributing the bearing forces. Aslotted locking clip 90 of similar configuration to apertured clips 84are also provided with ears 92 and the slot 94, in the inserted positionof the clip, operatively engages with grooves 82 of pins 76. The pins,upon insertion in the brackets and the aligned apertures, is rotated bymeans of handles 80 to position grooves 82 to permit insertion of clips90 and the pins are thereby restrained from withdrawal until the clips90 are removed. The ears 92 again function similar to the ears 86 ofclips 84.

Takeup swing chains 96 are attached at one end to eye of takeup swingpins 70 and the opposite ends thereof are attached to collars 98 throughhooks or eyes 100 attached thereto. The collars are mounted on pins 76as shown in FIG. 4.

Hydraulic cylinders 102 are pivotally mounted at 104 to upright wall 46as shown in FIG. 4 and the pistons thereof are pivotally connected at106 to ears or lugs 108 on arms 60 intermediate the ends thereof, but incloser proximity to the attachment to ejector shaft 62. Actuation ofhydraulic cylinders 102 serves to pivot arms 60 to thereby move thebattery cases from the inboard or vehicle mounted position 40 to thedetached or outboard position at 40a to facilitate battery changing withappropriate manipulation of the locking mechanism. Intermediatepositions can also be assumed for servicing access or the like. Endplates 110 which cooperate with floor 44 and wall 46 to form a batterycompartment are provided with cut outs 112 to permit access to pins 76and associated mechanism.

Manifestly, minor changes in details of construction can be effectedwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as definedin and limited solely by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A vehicle battery changing and positioning device adapted formounting an electric storage battery and casing in an electricallydriven vehicle and the like, and removing the same, comprising:

A. laterally spaced pivotally mounted lift arms;

B. interconnection means separably connecting the free ends of said armsto and suspending said casing therefrom, including:

i. clevis pins threadedly adjustably interconnected with the free endsof said arms; ii. swing chains freely connected to said clevis pins;

iii. pins attached to the ends of said casing; and

iv. said chains pivotally interconnecting said clevis pins and said pinson said casing; and

C. actuating means for selectively pivoting said arms from an inboard toan outboard position to respectively position said casing and battery insaid vehicle and remove the same therefrom, with the casing being movedthrough an arc while freely suspended from said arms and with thebattery in an upright position, said arm actuating means including:

i. hydraulic cylinder, piston and rod units. pivotally mounted at oneend to the vehicle and the free ends of said piston rods being pivotallyconnected to said arms intermediate to the ends thereof.

2. A vehicle battery changing and positioning device adapted formounting an electric storage battery and casing in an electricallydriven vehicle and the like, and removing the same, comprising:

A. laterally spaced pivotally mounted lift arms;

B. interconnection means separably connecting the free ends of said armsto and suspending said casing therefrom;

C. releasable and removable hold down and locking means separablyconnecting said arms and said casing, including:

i. generally U-shaped brackets attached to the ends of said casing, saidbrackets having apertures in the base thereof, pins insertable throughsaid apertures in said brackets and supported therein, and meansadjustably interconnecting the ends of said arms and said pins; and

D. actuating means for selectively pivoting said arms from an inboard toan outboard position to respectively position said casing and battery insaid vehicle and remove the same therefrom, with the casing being movedthrough an arc while freely suspended from said arms and with thebattery in an upright position.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, including an apertured clip havinglaterally extending ears thereon, said clip being insertable in saidbracket with the ears in bearing relationship in the legs of saidbrackets and the clip aperture being in alignment with said aperture inthe base of said bracket and constituting hold down and load bearingtransfer means between said pin and said casing.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3, said pin having opposed grooves inthe surface thereof, a slotted locking clip having laterally extendingears thereon, said locking clip being insertable in said bracket withthe slot therein engaging in the grooves of said pin and preventingremoval of said pin when so interengaged, said ears being in loadbearing relationship on the legs of said brackets.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, said pin having a collar thereonproximate the outer end thereof, a collar rotatably mounted on said pininboard of said collar and a swing chain interconnecting said rotatablecollar and the ends of said arms and constituting interconnection means'therebetween.

* Pl 1k

1. A vehicle battery changing and positioning device adapted formounting an electric storage battery and casing in an electricallydriven vehicle and the like, and removing the same, comprising: A.laterally spaced pivotally mounted lift arms; B. interconnection meansseparably connecting the free ends of said arms to and suspending saidcasing therefrom, including: i. clevis pins threadedly adjustablyinterconnected with the free ends of said arms; ii. swing chains freelyconnected to said clevis pins; iii. pins attached to the ends of saidcasing; and iv. said chains pivotally interconnecting said clevis pinsand said pins on said casing; and C. actuating means for selectivelypivoting said arms from an inboard to an outboard position torespectively position said casing and battery in said vehicle and removethe same therefrom, with the casing being moved through an arc whilefreely suspended from said arms and with the battery in an uprightposition, said arm actuating means including: i. hydraulic cylinder,piston and rod units, pivotally mounted at one end to the vehicle andthe free ends of said piston rods being pivotally connected to said armsintermediate to the ends thereof.
 2. A vehicle battery changing andpositioning device adapted for mounting an electric storage battery andcasing in an electrically driven vehicle and the like, and removing thesame, comprising: A. laterally spaced pivotally mounted lift arms; B.interconnection means separably connecting the free ends of said arms toand suspending said casing therefrom; C. releasable and removable holddown and locking means separably connecting said arms and said casing,including: i. generally U-shaped brackets attached to the ends of saidcasing, said brackets having apertures in the base thereof, pinsinsertable through said apertures in said brackets and supportedtherein, and means adjustably interconnecting the ends of said arms andsaid pins; and D. actuating means for selectively pivoting said armsfrom an inboard to an outboard position to respectively position saidcasing and battery in said vehicle and remove the same therefrom, withthe casing being moved through an arc while freely suspended from saidarms and with the battery in an upright position.
 3. A device as claimedin claim 2, including an apertured clip having laterally extending earsthereon, said clip being insertable in said bracket with the ears inbearing relationship in the legs of said brackets and the clip aperturebeing in alignment with said aperture in the base of said bracket andconstituting hold down and load bearing transfer means between said pinand said casing.
 4. A device as claimed in claim 3, said pin havingopposed grooves in the surface thereof, a slotted locking clip havinglaterally extending ears thereon, said locking clip being insertable insaid bracket with the slot therein engaging in the grooves of said pinand preventing removal of said pin when so interengaged, said ears beingin load bearing relationship on the legs of said brackets.
 5. A deviceas claimed in claim 4, said pin having a collar thereon proximate theouter end thereof, a collar rotatably mounted on said pin inboard ofsaid collar and a swing chain interconnecting said rotatable collar andthe ends of said arms and constituting interconnection meanstherebetween.